Lieutenant Colonel and Republic Airways® First Officer Eric Vetro started flying at 16, but his path to commercial aviation was hardly a straight shot. Here’s how Eric went from a hobbyist to a serviceman to a Republic Airways Pilot.
Many Commercial Pilots decide on their career path at a young age. For Eric, flying was just a hobby. “I never thought about the airlines. I never thought about military aviation,” Eric explains. “I just enjoyed flying.”
With no Pilots in his family, you might wonder how the aviation bug found Eric at all. “My mom came to the United States from Sweden. Growing up, we would travel to Europe to visit family,” says Eric. “Those long transatlantic flights stuck with me. I was so enthralled with the idea of flight.”
Once Eric got to college, trying to balance coursework, ROTC, the National Guard and two part-time jobs slowed him down, and he wasn’t able to finish his fixed-wing ratings. However, after enlisting in 1994, his path led him back to aviation. “I wasn’t thinking about flying when I enlisted,” says Eric. “I just wanted to serve.” He began his Army career as an Armored Crewman on M1 Abrams tanks, and while flying wasn’t the reason he joined up, he realized that maybe he could have the best of both worlds.
He joined the rigorous and competitive Army Aviation program and began flying helicopters. His passion for fixed-wing flight turned into a career as a rotary Pilot that took him to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq.
After getting out of the military, Eric began working on finishing his fixed-wing ratings. “The flying part came back quickly. It was the technology that changed,” he remembers. “When I began learning how to fly, we were using paper maps. When I got back into fixed-wing training, suddenly all of that information was at my fingertips.”
Luckily, Eric’s military experience put him in a position to succeed. “The rotary aircraft we fly in the Army are incredibly complex,” he explains. “Focusing on system knowledge is a necessity that allowed me to adapt to the new technology quickly.”
Eric passed his ratings and got his first interview in January of 2020. Then suddenly, the world shut down. Eric tries to look at the silver lining. “When I got out of the military, I didn’t understand anything about the aviation industry.” So while his career path was put on hold, he made the most of the downtime.
“I put my ear to the ground,” he says. “I would talk to friends in the industry and contacts working at airlines. I’d ask them questions about different bases, work rules and cultures. One name kept coming up: Republic Airways. That became my goal.”
When the world started back up again, Eric met his goal and was hired as a First Officer at Republic Airways in 2021.
“For me, culture is the most important thing in any organization,” Eric says. “In the military, you get to build that culture flying with the same crew day in and day out for years.” Eric found that in commercial aviation, the changing crews make a world-class culture all the more important. “When I fly with a Republic Airways Crew, even with brand new faces, I know what I can expect,” he explains. “A dedication to safety, a willingness to help others, confidence, friendliness and some great conversations.”
Republic Airways has also allowed Eric opportunities to expand his experience outside of the flight deck. “I volunteer with our Union, I work with the Safety Committee, I help out the Pilot Talent Acquisition Team and I am a member of Republic’s RVet Connect Business Resource Group,” says Eric. “All of these are chances to continue building that culture by getting to know my crew and helping out the next generation of Pilots.”
Eric isn’t trying to get too far ahead of myself. “It’s just like my time in the Army,” he says. “I came in as a young Lieutenant. I didn’t say to myself, ‘I’m going to become a great General.’ I was focused on being the best platoon leader I could be.”
Eric is focused on honing his craft and being the best First Officer he can be. “Eventually, I’ll want to move to the left seat. Down the road, maybe a Check Airman or an Instructor. For now, I don’t want to look too far into the future and miss what’s happening right now.”
If you’re interested in other ways that Republic Airways supports Veterans like Eric, visit rjet.com/community/military-and-veterans/.